Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh powerhouses Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, bitter rival turned partners-in-polls, today announced their mega alliance, delivering the first opposition front to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national election due by May.
"This press conference will give Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah sleepless nights," Mayawati began, after the two leaders smiled together for the cameras.
Nearly 25 years ago, Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), had an acrimonious falling out after their shaky coalition government in Uttar Pradesh crashed.
Last year, the two parties decided to team up for important by-polls that were prestige battles for the ruling BJP and found that together, they can be unbeaten.
After a successful dry run in three seats, including Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur, the two parties explored taking their alliance to the next level - the 2019 national polls. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will fight on 38 seats and Samajwadi Party (SP) on 38, while two seats have been reserved. Rest two, Amethi and Rae Bareli are for Congress.
Here are the highlights of the Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati joint presser:
Jan 12, 2019 20:22 (IST)
This alliance is not a people oriented alliance. The only aim is to keep right wing parties away. People know both parties have in the past bitterly opposed each other and their coming together now is purely for electoral purposes without a definite development agenda: Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande
Jan 12, 2019 18:45 (IST)
This is a ''gunaahbandhan'', which has been forged to cover up crimes, while attempting to save each other's identity. This is an alliance of opportunistic forces, who had thrown Uttar Pradesh in the fire of misgovernance, corruption and crime: BJP leader Mahendra Nath Pandey
Jan 12, 2019 17:12 (IST)
This alliance is incomplete without Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party. Only a secular front can defeat the BJP: Shivpal Yadav on SP-BSP alliance
Jan 12, 2019 16:58 (IST)
"Whether it is Congress's ''shehzada'', West Bengal's ''Didi'', Andhra Pradesh's ''Babu'' or Uttar Pradesh's ''Behenji'', they all wish from their heart (to be the Prime Minister), but after elections, all of them will stand against each other. None of them have the guts to stand in front of our leader on the topic of leadership": ANI quotes Arun Jaitley as saying at the BJP national council meet
Jan 12, 2019 16:10 (IST)
Founder of Samajwadi Party will always be Mulayam Singh-Ji. Now he is totally cut off with this development. On the banners, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh won't be there together. It'll be only Akhilesh and Mayawati, 'bua & babua': Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh on SP-BSP alliance
Jan 12, 2019 14:14 (IST)
"The SP and the BSP have allied neither for the country nor for Uttar Pradesh, but for their survival. They know they cannot fight (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi on their own and their opposition to him is the sole base for their alliance," senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in Delhi
Jan 12, 2019 12:48 (IST)
"The last 5 years of BJP rule has brought hardships for the people. In UP, which is the land of Lord Ram, the BJP has tried to promote hatred, divide the people on communal lines. People are being killed in encounters. Patients at hospitals are admitted based on their castes," he said.
Jan 12, 2019 12:33 (IST)
Why we have not included the Congress: Mayawati
Attacking the Congress, she says that the grand old party has lost deposit in by-elections. Despite being at Centre and in many states, corruption and poverty was quite rampant everywhere. Congress and BJP at Centre are one of the same things. A large number of scams, including Bofors, Rafale, took place while the BJP and Congress governments were in power.
Jan 12, 2019 12:16 (IST)
"In 1993, the then BSP chief Kanshi Ram and Mulayam Singh Yadav contested together and won the UP polls. The BSP is determined to follow in the footsteps of Dr BR Ambedkar and give the same results this time," says Mayawati